Orphan Machine Tools

[Doug - Iowa]

For whatever reason, I'm seeing lots of orphaned machine tools this year. We have some at our plant that were kept around and finally we needed the room and out they go. These are old-school iron machines (couple copy lathes, a plastic injection molder, and a huge grinder) that are waaaay better than anything you can by today but no one wants them. Another plant nearby has several presses and a couple old mills going the same way. I've always been concerned that we (industry) have scrapped a lot of the good old machines and if we (the USA) ever have to make serious quantities of parts we can't rely on imported machines to do it. I also realize floor space is costly and unused machines don't make money.

Anyone saving these old relics?

 

[Fawteen]

I'd love to get my hands on some of it.

Two problems that I suspect are common to most of us:

1. No way to transport it and set it up properly, and;

2. No three-phase power to run it.

It won't be long before there's nobody left that knows how to run a manual machine anyway. It's all CAD/CAM and CNC now.

 

[rhouston]

The link below is to a company that buys and sells surplus machines. I don't know if they have an interest in what you have or not.
McKean Machinery

 

[Spook]

A few years ago, I ran into a young guy who was working with us on a new machining line installation. We got to talking about what our backgrounds were, and I told him that I had started out running manual mills and lathes. His response was that he had never run a machine "with handles". But he was an excellent machinist.

 

[Spook]

A lot of shops around Detroit have shut down in the last few years. Mostly the machinery went to scrap.

 

[Dieslerider]

I can't spewak for the whole industry but, to be good on one of the cnc machine you have to know the basics of how to get a part square and true. Some things the computer can't do for you even on the new stuff.

 

[Anonymous-0]

While out buying bolts I talked with a fellow who has a scrap yard.He bought some big lathes from a company that replaced them with new ones.He said they were old but in excellent condition.He put them under cover, spent 6 months trying to sell them at cost.No takers. The lathes were cut up and scrapped. I was at a scrap yard and saw a lot of new steel that came from a big machine shop that had closed.The pile was full of round shafting, all kinds of flat and square stock.I bought a lot of the small stuff and helped a fellow load round shafting for a sawmill he was building.

 

[JMS/.MN]

You can make a phase converter with an old 3 phase motor and a small single phase- both cheap! I agree that it is a shame to see old machines being scrapped, and if foreign cuts us off, how can we make our own anymore. Bought an 8 foot engine lathe recently for less than a grand, and a mill for under $300.

 

[Doug - Iowa]

Yea, phase converters are a snap. I've built lots of them out of scrap parts.

Basically you got two ways to do it, use a small single phase motor belted up to the 3 ph to get it moving (I've seen rope starts too!) or tie a capacitor to the 3rd wire on the 3ph and a momnetary switch to give it a shot to get the rotor turning. Either way, once you have one motor running it will self generate and power others. Of course, not as efficent or full power as the real deal, but works for lathes and mills, or other tools that don't start under load.

 

[Bryce]

Doug ,could you email me a diagram for the 3 ph conversion? By the way what part of IA. Im around DeWitt. Bryce Knapper